KU Scholar Athlete of June 2019: Langston Jackson
Langston Sprints Into The Record Book
- School: Henry Clay High
- GRADE: 12
- Sport: Track & Field & Football
- Academics: Langston has a 4.2 weighted GPA, has taken four A.P. classes and is Academic All-State in football and track.
- Parents: Carla Mack & James Jackson Jr.
Meet the fastest high school sprinter in Kentucky, an 18-year-old with his sights set on becoming the all-time state record holder in the 100 and 200 meter dashes.
Langston Jackson, a senior at Henry Clay High, already has enjoyed an illustrious career for the Blue Devils with one major event left on his to-do list: the 2019 state meet set for June 1 at UK.
The site is a good omen for Langston – he has accepted a full scholarship to run for the Wildcats next season.
Langston already has the fastest time this year in the 100 at 10.33, which would break the state record of 10.42, except that the record must be set in the state meet.
In the 200, Langston has run 21.01, which is just off the 20.94 record.
Based on past performance, he seems a lock to break both records. In fact, he guaranteed it during a recent interview, saying, “I want to beat every record I possibly can and make it so low that nobody can beat it.”
Along with regular training, Langston works with a Pilates instructor once a week, a practice he adopted after knee surgery as a sophomore.
A national Pilates magazine even wrote a story about him.
All of that has worked because Langston’s performance in the state meet has been exceptional.
As a freshman, he helped lead Henry Clay to the state title, placing third in the 100 and 200, and running the anchor leg on the state champion 4×100 and 4×200 relays.
As a sophomore, he placed second in the 100, fourth in the 200 and anchored the state champion 4×100 relay despite recovering from a knee injury suffered during football season.
He was the team’s top rusher and defensive back last season, and he’s so fast he blocked four PAT kicks.
At last year’s state meet, Langston was a four-time champion, winning the 100, 200 and anchoring both relays.
After the state meet, as one of the top eight sprinters in the country, he heads to an invitational meet in Seattle, then it’s on to UK where he will major in pre-med in pursuit of a career in dentistry.
Langston has a 4.2 weighted GPA, has taken four A.P. classes and was Academic All-State in both football and track.
He has served as a mentor for underclassmen at Henry Clay and Kindergartners at Breckinridge Elementary. He is president of the youth group at his church and was voted Prom King.
“We’re proud of his academics and we get compliments all the time on what a nice kid he is,” said his mother Carla.
Added his father James: “He’s very respectful and treats everybody well. He’s a team player. It’s always we, not me.”